Full Circle
by just walk away
Summary: Typical DHr fic. Set in sixth year. HBP spoilerscompatible
1. Chapter 1

Draco flicked his head again in an irritated gesture to get his sweaty white-blonde hair out of his eyes. He'd been pouring over his bubbling cauldron for the past hour and fifteen minutes attempting to make the draught of living death. It wasn't going well. He couldn't concentrate what with the Golden Boy leering at him. There had to be some way he was cheating. Malfoy was never the best in the class, but he certainly was no stranger to potions. It had been his best subject until Slughorn had taken over. As much as he hated to admit it, Draco was particularly missing the special treatment he had been getting from Professor Snape.

He scowled again into his cauldron, willing the liquid within to sizzle out of the opaque navy into crystal clear.

It didn't work.

This year was NOT going well. Not only was his father prisoned up in Azkaban, but his mother was always ill and never really paid him much attention anyway. He had enough pressure in his life without failing potions as well. To top it off, he had the fleeting suspicion the Golden Boy himself was tracking his every move.

Draco shot a death glare at the famous Harry Potter as professor Slughorn praised his every move. Again. With slight satisfaction, he realized that everyone it seemed was getting rather tired of Potter's overabundant claims to fame. Weasley's expression could only be explained as someone who had swallowed a very nasty batch of bobataur puss. Draco's steely grey gaze flicked to the table behind them where he was surprised (although he'd never admit it) to see that mudblood Granger's face was a perfect reflection of his own. She was glaring daggers at the back of Harry's head as though she'd been practicing it for years.

With an unfamiliar pang in his stomach, Draco realized that she had been. Only for once, HE wasn't the subject of her animosity. Hermione's brow was furrowed and he could almost hear her mutterings as she turned her face back to her own steaming cauldron. Right before she gathered her things to leave, however, her gaze flicked over to Draco's.

Hermione's big brown eyes blinked a few times before she realized what she was seeing. Draco Malfoy was staring at her. For once, he wasn't sneering. Instead --she realized with great effort-- he looked to be sympathizing with her. She was startled when she discovered she sympathized with him as well. He wasn't the brilliant potions student any more. Hermione snickered to herself and quickly realized that she had accidentally smiled at Malfoy. His grey eyes narrowed before his patented sneer curled on his lip and he turned away from her. Hermione blushed and busied herself by emptying her cauldron and gathering her book bag. When she dared to look up again, Malfoy had gone.

_Serves him right _she thought desperately to herself _He was probably making fun of me anyway... _

She pushed her way past Harry and Ron, muttering something about the library, and tried to ignore the idea that she cared what Malfoy thought. Clearly the fumes in the potions dungeon were doing funny things to her head. She made her way to the sanctuary of the library and plopped herself down at her favorite table, refusing to acknowledge the twinge of butterflies in her stomach when she thought of Malfoy's clear grey eyes...

Draco Malfoy did not stare. He was merely glancing over to the Gryffindor table to see if Potter, the Golden Boy of Hogwarts, had spontaneously combusted yet. It clearly had nothing to do with the fact that Hermione granger was sitting to his left, her hair pulled back into a pony tail off her face to reveal her high cheekbones and bow-shaped mouth. Nor did it have to do with her overly large brown eyes that were fringed with thick black lashes that kept darting curiously towards the Slytherin table...

No, Draco Malfoy did not stare.

He watched as she tucked a stray curl behind her adorable ears...

_Adorable ears?_ What the hell was wrong with him! This was GRANGER he was thinking about. She wasn't worth his time, much less his thoughts. He was vaguely aware of a frilly high-pitched voice to his right and an arm snaking its way around his waist.

"What do _you_ think, Draco?" Pansy Parkinson simpered in his ear, batting her lashes comically at him.

Crap. He hadn't been listening.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you, mate?" Blaise's deep baritone was demanding from somewhere to his left. Malfoy blinked himself out of his reverie to glare over at Blaise.

"That none of your bloody business is it, Zabini?" he drawled coldly at his fellow Slytherin.

"Draco, love, are you alright?" this was Pansy again, annoyingly fake-concerned and pulling his face towards hers. He could see the glint in her eye and cut her off before she asked if he wanted her to "take him back to his room to rest".

"I'm off" was all he said.

"But Draco, darling, where are you going?" Pansy stuck out her bottom lip in an impressive pout.

Draco ignored her and stalked out of the great hall. There was clearly something wrong with him, but he didn't have the time to think about it now.

Hermione watched as Malfoy stormed out of the great hall. She been conscious of his attentions since potions class and had been startled many times this evening when she caught him staring at her from across the room. The thought sent chills up her spine. Whatever he was doing, he'd better stop. She wasn't the only one to notice either.

"What the hell is that wanker up to, staring at you all throughout dinner?" Ron commented as his eyes followed the progression of their nemesis out of the hall.

"I'm not sure, but it's making me nervous," she wasn't afraid to admit.

"Don't worry, Hermione," came Harry's reassuring voice, "I'm keeping a careful eye on him. I wish I knew what he was up to..." Harry's brilliant green eyes wandered back over the Marauder's map, which he now carried with him at all times, hidden in his robes.

Hermione caught Ron's rolling eyes as he turned back to his kippers. It had been their secret tradition ever since Harry had gone on his Malfoy-is-a-Death-Eater campaign. She would never have admitted it, but just this once, she was actually quite glad to have Harry's unnatural paranoia about the pale boy. He was definitely up to something and she had a feeling she wasn't going to like it.

Malfoy cursed himself silently as he slipped out of the Room of Requirement. He had told Crabbe to patrol the corridor for him, and of course, the git had wandered off again. The cupboard was not repairing the way he had hoped it could be done. He had hounded Montague and threatened him as much as he could, but the stupid prat said he couldn't remember much of anything from the time he was shoved in to the time he stepped out. Draco irritably marched down to the library to look up more repairing incantations. His mind had been constantly flickering to Granger the entire night and he prayed, for his own sake as much as hers that she wouldn't be there. A wry smile crossed his lips as he thought of the many ways he could torment her. One way in particular had his trousers tightening slightly inside his robes.

Merlin, but he needed to get laid.


	2. Chapter 2

Blaise marched through the aisles trying to find the book he needed for his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. He would never tell anyone, but he was actually concerned for his friend, Draco. He'd never seen the boy look so pale and distracted. Blaise had caught him on several occasions gazing at that muggle-born Gryffindor, Hermione. Although it was fairly common knowledge that the chit was attractive, he'd never have thought Draco Malfoy would be taken with her.

Blaise was admittedly startled when he turned around a bookshelf to see the exact girl who was just occupying his thoughts. His face split into a malicious grin as he walked up directly behind her and peered over her shoulder. She was so absorbed in her Muggle Studies book that she didn't even notice his presence until he tutted right over her head.

"_Muggle Studies_, Gryffindor? Why would you possibly want to learn about filthy muggles?"

Hermione gave a satisfying start in her chair before glaring at her fellow prefect. "Just because you don't find anything useful in the muggle world, _Slytherin_, doesn't mean they're not important."

"Oh I never said they weren't important. I hear they're very good on toast." Blaise couldn't help but snicker at the indignant shock painted across the mudblood's face. Her gaze quickly hardened.

"I wouldn't expect any more from the son of a _Death Eater,_" Hermione replied coolly.

"Now Granger, that's not very nice at all," came the low drawl of Draco Malfoy. He was leaning casually against one of the book cases, his silver grey eyes fixed pointedly on her. Blaise lifted one eyebrow, regarding Draco with a questioning gaze. Malfoy flicked his head once and Blaise left feeling slightly disgruntled, but knowing when not to meddle in Malfoy's affairs.

"Shove off, Malfoy," Hermione retorted, shifting her attention back to the book propped open before her.

Malfoy made a clicking sound with his tongue before she felt his breath against her ear, "Manners, Granger, or you'll sorely regret it." Hermione attempted to control the pleasurable shudder that ran down her spine when his hot breath came in contact with her sensitive ear, but he chuckled anyway: "My my, but we're skittish tonight, aren't we?" he had braced his arms on either side of her, leaning his weight against the table before them, but not touching her. She could just barely feel the heat of his skin between their robes.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she breathed, hating herself for how weak her voice sounded.

"What do I want, Granger? I want to feel you writhing beneath me, begging for release. I want to see the lust in your eyes as I pound into you over and over until you scream. I want to watch the convulsions wrack your body as you explode, Granger. _That's_ what I want from you."

Hermione's breath caught in her chest and she was sure he could hear her heartbeat thudding wildly against her ribcage. The electric shock that ran through her body was enough to tense all of her muscles. Malfoy bent his head and nipped at her ear before he was gone, striding away as though nothing had happened.

_What the bloody _hell _was that?_ She thought wildly to herself. Honestly! And she had just sat there completely dumbfounded letting him get to her like that? She couldn't believe herself. Still, she couldn't help the way her blood was pounding through her veins starting disturbingly where her ear still tingled from Malfoy's teeth. She shuddered and closed the book before her, trying desperately to ignore the blush creeping up her cheeks.

The next few days found Hermione holed up in the library as per usual. Studies were becoming increasingly difficult and she wasn't the only one feeling the strain of the workload. She'd had a tiff with Ron earlier that day only to be chased off by Lavender Brown following him and fawning all over him like a lovesick puppy. Hermione let out an irritated noise from her throat and realized she'd been staring at the same sentence in her Arithmancy book for the past half hour. Clearly, thinking about Ron was getting her nowhere. If Lavender wanted to flaunt her crush, who was Hermione to stop her? It wasn't like she'd had any _claim _on Ron or anything.

Hermione tried to ignore the jealous bubble that was trying so desperately to escape. She'd have to concentrate on something else to get her mind off of her supposed best friend. She found her thoughts straying towards a pale blonde Slytherin instead. Hermione realized with a start that he'd been occupying far more of her thoughts than she'd like to admit. She had caught him staring at her at every meal and all throughout double potions. Ever since he'd… what? Threatened her? the other day in this very spot, she couldn't help but wonder if he was true to his word or just teasing her. She found her gaze wandering over to the bookshelf that he'd so casually draped himself against and slightly envying the hard wooden frame. She didn't want to admit that three sentences uttered from his lips had sent her into a proverbial frenzy. Much to her embarrassment, she felt her cheeks flushing with the memory. Chiding herself for her wayward thoughts, Hermione's eyes flicked over the page again.

Sighing, she closed the book and packed her bag. The library was closing in ten minutes anyway, so she might as well get some rest. She was concentrating so hard on anything but the male persuasion as she left the library that she didn't notice the tall pale boy looming in the shadows, watching her as she walked down the deserted corridor.

It had been three days since Draco Malfoy had spewed his verbal libido into her wanting ears and he found his thoughts returning to her over and over again as he lay down to sleep each night. She wasn't at all the prettiest chit he'd ever seen, but she had some fine qualities about her. He stared openly at two of those qualities as she walked by, her bag slung over one arm and a book under the other. Even through her heavy school robes he could see she was well endowed in all the areas that mattered. He wondered silently how he'd managed to overlook that fact in all the years they had hated each other.

He watched as she rounded the corner before following her silently down the stone corridors, his feet making not a single sound. He'd become quite good at stealthily moving around the old castle. He darted quickly around another corner, taking a short cut to the next corridor she was moving towards and positioned himself lazily leaning against one of the stone pillars.

He smirked when she didn't even notice another presence in the hallway until he was about a foot in front of her. She collided with his shoulder, her books scattering around her feet. She gasped and bent to collect them off the floor, but he was quicker than she was. He roughly grabbed her arms and swung her around between himself and the cold stone wall behind them.

She blinked curiously before narrowing her eyes at him: "Malfoy, wha--?"

"You should watch where you're going, Gryffindor. Distraction is likely to get you into trouble one of these days…" he leered at her, closing the distance between them and trapping her effectively between his hard body and the equally hard wall.

Hermione really tried to muster up a glare, but it was rather distracting having Malfoy's strong body pressing enticingly up against her. Despite her better judgment, she melted slightly against him, her eyes sliding closed.

"Oh no you don't, Granger. You'll look at me when I'm talking to you," she heard Malfoy growl against her ear. The sound of his rough, low voice sent shivers down her spine and she unconsciously arched her back slightly. She felt his fingers, surprisingly gentle, stroking down her jawbone and tilting her face up towards his. My _goodness _but the boy was tall. Her eyes blinked up at him to see the smug smirk playing around his lips. One of his hands was still resting on her hip where it had fallen after he had swung her around and the other was gently burying itself in her hair, cradling the back of her head.

Hermione was certain he could hear her heartbeat. It seemed to be echoing off the bare walls around them. Time stood still as he leaned his face slowly over hers, his lips mere centimeters from her own. He paused there, willing her to kiss him, but wanting her to make the initial move. He wasn't disappointed.

Hermione's soft lips tentatively touched his, almost as if asking permission. Draco smirked against the kiss and added a bit more pressure, his pulse leaping when he felt Hermione's hands slide up his chest to rest on his shoulders. He half expected her to push him away, but they merely rested there, warm and soft like their kiss. Draco pulled back slightly and tilted Hermione's head, pressing his lips against hers again, but in a much more aggressive manner. She shivered pleasantly when his tongue slid slowly over her bottom lip and she hesitated slightly before opening her mouth to him.

Draco felt her tense, but as soon as she opened her mouth, he slid his tongue past her lips, tasting her for the first time. He was rewarded with a low groan issuing from the small figure in his arms. Her hands slid further up, around his neck and pulled him down further to her. Draco smirked again at the bold demand in Hermione's actions and tugged her even closer towards him. He growled against her mouth when he felt her hips move instinctively.

Draco finally broke the kiss, trailing his lips down her neck instead to suckle softly on the flesh he found there. With a satisfying jolt, he heard her moan.

"Bloody hell, Granger. What have you done to me?" he murmured against her neck, nipping and licking for emphasis.

She moaned and buried her fingers in his blonde hair, tugging his lips back to hers. She couldn't think anymore. She was being thoroughly snogged by Draco Malfoy and dammit, she liked it.

Just as she was thinking she could get used to the feeling of Malfoy's lips on hers, his hips shifted against hers and she could feel the hard length of his very obvious arousal against her thigh. This seemed to snap her out of her temporary trance and she stiffened immediately.

Draco felt Hermione turn suddenly rigid and pulled back for investigation. Her hair was tousled beautifully around her face, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink and her eyes sparkling in the dim light of the corridor. He grinned to himself as he took in the sight of her swollen lips and disheveled appearance.

He was just about to swoop in and capture those gorgeously full lips again when her palm came crashing against his cheekbone. His face turned slightly at the impact, his jaw hardening and his eyes closing. He turned his head slowly back towards her and when he opened his eyes, they were a cold stormy grey and as hard as ice.

Hermione felt fear skitter through her body and she instinctively went to slap him again, but he caught her wrist painfully in his tight grip. Wrenching her hand between them, he spoke in a deadly cold voice: "Don't _ever _hit me again, mudblood." He spat the insult at her and watched with some satisfaction as she flinched slightly upon delivery. The cold fury was emanating off of him and she winced when he jerked her arm forward, bringing his face within inches of hers, "Understand?"

He watched the fear flicker in her eyes before they too hardened, a look of severe determination settling on her features.

"I don't know what game you're playing, _Malfoy_, but I'm certainly not interested."

"Oh?" he still had her pressed dangerously helpless against the wall and she was suddenly painfully aware of her complete disadvantage. He brought the hand he caught -- still nearly crushing her wrist in his iron grip-- up over her head and pinned it against the wall above her. Her other hand was trapped between their bodies and when he leaned in towards her; she could do nothing but close her eyes and wait for the outcome. He leaned dangerously close to her and swirled his tongue over the soft curve of her ear before whispering low, "_Really_ now?" Her legs turned to jelly and her pulse sped up, completely crumbling her resolve.

And just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone. Hermione sagged against the wall and was silently grateful for the hard stone behind her. She barely caught the glimpse of his robes disappearing beyond the curve in the hallway before she let herself breathe again.


End file.
